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Swedish NHL players 1979–80

20 Swedish players played in the NHL in 1979–80. Together they scored 853 points, the third most of any country, and Sweden finished second of 3 in the nations league. Kent Nilsson scored the most, 93 points.

20
NHL players
853
Points
2nd
Nations league
14
Goalie wins
1979–80Active season80/82 games
1978–791980–81

SWEDISH LEADERS

In the nations league

2nd
of 3 ranked nations
11
league points
Rate1stTop trio2ndBlue line1stGoalies3rdPer million2nd

Sweden accounts for 3.1% of the NHL's players and 5.5% of its points.

The full nations league

Swedish goalies

Regular season. Most games first.
GoalieGPW-L-OTLSV%GAASO
Hardy ÅströmCLR
499-27-0.8703.770
Göran HögostaQUE
215-12-0.8694.181

Every Swedish player in the NHL, team by team

20 players across 11 teams.
NYINew York Islanders3 players
Anders KallurINACTIVE
C · 76 GP · 22G 30A52P
Robert NyströmINACTIVE
RW · 67 GP · 21G 18A39P
Stefan PerssonINACTIVE
D · 73 GP · 4G 35A39P
VANVancouver Canucks3 players
Thomas GradinINACTIVE
C · 80 GP · 30G 45A75P
Lars LindgrenINACTIVE
D · 73 GP · 5G 30A35P
Per-Olov BrasarINACTIVE
C · 70 GP · 10G 24A34P
WSHWashington Capitals3 players
Bengt-Åke GustafssonINACTIVE
LW · 80 GP · 22G 38A60P
Rolf EdbergINACTIVE
C · 63 GP · 23G 23A46P
Leif SvenssonINACTIVE
D · 47 GP · 4G 11A15P
DETDetroit Red Wings2 players
Dan LabraatenINACTIVE
LW · 76 GP · 30G 27A57P
Thommie BergmanINACTIVE
D · 28 GP · 1G 5A6P
NYRNew York Rangers2 players
Anders HedbergINACTIVE
RW · 80 GP · 32G 39A71P
Ulf NilssonINACTIVE
C · 50 GP · 14G 44A58P
WINWinnipeg Jets2 players
Willy LindströmINACTIVE
RW · 79 GP · 23G 26A49P
Lars-Erik SjöbergINACTIVE
D · 79 GP · 7G 27A34P
AFMAtlanta Flames1 player
Kent NilssonINACTIVE
C · 80 GP · 40G 53A93P
CLRColorado Rockies1 player
Hardy ÅströmINACTIVE
G · 49 GP · 9 W · .8709W
Show all 11 teams
MNSMinnesota North Stars1 player
Kent-Erik AnderssonINACTIVE
RW · 61 GP · 9G 10A19P
QUEQuebec Nordiques1 player
Göran HögostaINACTIVE
G · 21 GP · 5 W · .8695W
TORToronto Maple Leafs1 player
Börje SalmingINACTIVE
D · 74 GP · 19G 52A71P

Season by season

Sweden had 17 players in the NHL in 1990–91 and 103 in 2025–26. The peak was 2019–20, with 111. Under each bar is the nations league placing, in gold for the 6 seasons Sweden won.
2
2
2
428
194
4
4
2
346
399
3
2
5
546
405
6
3
3
163
210
2
2
2
285
115
1
4
3
296
320
1
1
3
3103
225

In the NHL Draft

25 Swedish players were picked in the 2026 NHL Draft, seven of them in the first round. Ivar Stenberg went first, at number 2 to the San Jose Sharks.

Every pick in 2026 →The draft through the years →

Swedish NHL players all time

Regular season, whole careers. The record seasons count completed seasons only.

Sweden against USA

The nations league's five categories plus raw points and player count. The higher value takes the round.
Sweden
Sweden
2nd in the league
4–3
USA
USA
3rd in the league

Sweden wins 4–3 against USA.

0.65Points per game0.46
239Best trio211
0.47Defencemen's points per game0.42
.876Goalies' save percentage.880
1.9NHL players per million inhabitants0.2
853Total points1 188
20Players in the NHL64
Sweden against USA season by season
Pick a rivalCanadaCanadaUSAUSA
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Continue reading

Top scorer
Kent Nilsson
Sweden's top scorer in 1979–80.
The team
Atlanta Flames
Where Kent Nilsson plays.
Nations in the NHL
Every nation in the NHL
How many players each country has in the NHL, with a page for each.
Nations league
NHL battle of the nations 1979–80
The countries compared per player rather than in raw totals.
Home
The Swedes in the NHL today
The rest of the site follows the Swedes in the NHL.
The Swedes
Every Swede in the NHL
Team by team, with position and stats.